‘The Vourdalak’ Review – A Commendable Effort In Atmospheric Dread And Old World Storytelling

The Vourdalak presents itself as a stoic, unsettling endeavor, taking in stride a visibly low budget and completely ignoring the restraints that come along with that. The most impressive thing about this film is its insistence upon itself; with what it has, it’d have been terribly difficult to come out with something that looks and plays better than it does.

Candles and exaggerated rays of sunshine light scenes and dramatize expressions. Much of the story and performances feel stage play-esque, but given the extreme visual language of the film, the more expressive elements in this regard work well. Being set in an older time of kingdoms and legends goes that much further in pushing the narrative, too.

Below the surface of this (perhaps mildly unpleasant) period piece lies the titular character; the driving machinist of the tension and central mechanism of the plot. This is a monster film of sorts, above all else, pushing shadowed elements of horror and ominosity in slow waves as things build towards a final breakdown.

The film deserves great credit for making it clear that something isn’t quite right from the very beginning, without ever actually saying as much. This goes back to that visual sheen of negative aura that The Vourdalak employs. There is suitable, varied color here, but it all feels drained in a way that serves the story, like everything else here. Everything feels like a cog in the greater machine of this narrative.

There is a make-or-break element in that respect that won’t work for everyone, though. The Vourdalak himself, revealed at once with fully puppeted practical effects, is boldly shown and situated throughout the entire film in that manner. Obviously, it’s obvious.

His mouth moves unnaturally, and his eyes hardly at all. It’s old filmmaking in a film that wants to feel old, but still feels far too new to seamlessly support this brash effect without the possibility of a few folks being thrown off by it. You may love it, and you may not. But that’s going to be a deeply important aspect in how far this film takes you.

That, and the snail’s pace at which it advances. If we’re talking about issues, The Vourdalak does very little to earn moving as slowly as it does. These characters are interesting archetypes that support the best stretches of drama and tension, but when people are just walking around in the daytime, dumping exposition between the sputters of birds and efforts of disturbed rocks on the riverside, it’ll be easy to fall out of this thing completely until the strings kick in and we’re back in the dark, haunted halls of an old stone residence once more.

If you find yourself particularly compelled by the characters for whatever your own reason may be, this may be less of a problem. But for most, it’ll likely begin to drag once the film builds and builds and leaves the pace behind.

Even so, The Vourdalak is an enjoyable, commendable effort in atmospheric dread and old world storytelling. It takes notes from the likes of Robert Eggers and older vampire films (Nosferatu included, funnily enough) to craft a suspenseful, fresh-enough tale of its own. This one is worth seeking out for fans of any of those aforementioned vibes, as well as horror fans in general. There are dramatic elements that may have some wide appeal, too, but for the most part, this is for the scared and scary.

If that sounds like you, give The Vourdalak a go. If nothing else, support it, so that we can get more low-budget horror films with vision and scope worthy of a franchise. Keep movies like this alive.

The Vourdalak is currently playing in select theaters courtesy of Oscilloscope Laboratories.